The Two Pragmatisms

by H.O. Mounce

The Two Pragmatisms - From Peirce to Rorty maps the main movements within the pragmatist tradition. Two distinct forms of pragmatism are identified, that of Peirce and that of the `second' pragmatism stemming from James' interpretation of Peirce and seen in the work of Dewey and above all Rorty. Both the influential work of Rorty and the way in which he has transformed contemporary philosophy's understanding of pragmatism are clearly explained.
The Two Pragmatisms - From Peirce to Rorty is essential reading for those interested in the history of this increasingly influential movement, whether first-time philosophers or more advanced readers.

Genres: Philosophy

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 1997

Reviews

[Massimiliano · Rating 2 out of 5]

This work somewhat disappointed me, due the fact that I expected it to be a work about pragmatism. Instead, it mostly focus on the main characters who developped this philosophy. This is no bad thing, but I somehow missed a real explanation and description of what pragmatism is and what it follows. The 'only' thing it does is explaining the main ideas from Peirce, James, Dewey and Rorty.

It has however an original view on pragmatism, i.e. it greatly describes how pragmatism consists of two different pragmatisms, that of Peirce and James, and the latter of Dewey and Rorty. To bad, I sympathize most with Dewey and Rorty while H.O. Mounce clearly thinks Peirce and James are the greatest of all. Nonetheless, this is a clear introduction for everyone who is interested in pragmatism, and of course, mostly for those who are interested in Peirce, James, Dewey or Rorty.

[Jack Naylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by Mounce’s coverage of pragmatism. His close attention to the work of just four philosophers (Peirce, James, Dewey, and Rorty) allows him to do a fulsome treatment and supplement with his own critiques and supporting comments. Though the book is called, “The two pragmatisms,” it’s not really motivated by the thesis that there are two such philosophies (this is more or less evident as he explains Peirce and James vs Dewey and Rorty), the thrust rather being an exploration of the four figures as they are informed by the broader tradition and each other. The main themes in this respect are realism, empiricism, and logical positivism.

For Mounce, Rorty, and Dewey to a lesser extent is the villain. I don’t take this quite harshly because Rorty’s hermeneutical approach to learning really just is relativist sophistry.